Akko (Acre)

just across the mouth of Haifa Bay, Akko is centuries apart from its urban neighbor. Akko (Akka in Arabic, historically written “Acre” in English) is not made up of two cities, as many people believe, but rather three. Inside a bastion of crumbling walls, the 200-year-old Arab town is a labyrinth of alleys and stairwells leading up to ancient Turkish fortifications, only to disappear into the chaos of the streets below, just outside Arab Akko, a rapidly encroaching new city is laying siege to the embat tled ancient walls-a familiar struggle throughout Israel. Undisturbed by this contest stands the vast, subterranean Crusader City, still only partially excavated, directly underneath old Akko and predating it by 600 years. The enormous rooms of this basement city and the network of tunnels lacing through them were fortuitously preserved by the Turks, who found the constructions too solid to raze.

The tumultuous history of Akko reflects the ebb and flow of the contending armies that have washed over it, leaving behind their tell-tale architectural jetsam. The Crusaders came to the city in 1140 on their vainglorious campaign to recapture the Holy Land for Christianity. Failing to take Jerusalem initially, they retreated to peaceful Akko, transforming it into the greatest port of their empire and a worldwide showpiece of culture and architecture. The Mamluks ended Crusader rule in 1290, and almost 500 years later a Bedouin sheikh rebuilt the city.

The city that survives today was built by an Albanian adventurer, Ahmed, who ousted the Bedouin and became the Turkish pasha Al-Jazzar ("The Butcher"). Napoleon later claimed, with typical modesty, that had Akko designed for the pedestrian, so allow ample time to amble and explore. During school vacations, you may find yourself awarded an informative, if somewhat tiresome, self-appointed guide in the Arab town. The young men who so boldly approach you are often only interested in practicing their English and impressing their friends, so offering a tip may be taken as an insult.

On the other hand, many local men consider picking up foreign women a full-time sport, and what begins as a pleasant chat can turn menacing. Women traveling alone especially should avoid these encounters. Steer clear of any drugs offered on the streets; the Police keep a close watch on dealers and usually confine foreign offenders to the local prison for several nightmarish days before expelling them from the country. «’s best not to prowl the alleys of the Old City after dark.